Florida justices approve medical marijuana ballot measure

TALLAHASSEE — In a key step for supporters of legalizing medical marijuana, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would go on the November 2016 ballot.

Justices said the proposal, spearheaded by the group People United for Medical Marijuana, meets legal tests that include dealing with a single subject and having a clearly worded ballot title and summary. The Supreme Court does not consider the merits of proposed constitutional amendments but reviews them, in part, to make sure voters would not be misled.

“(The) ballot title and summary fairly inform voters of the purpose of the proposed amendment — the state authorization of medical marijuana for patients with debilitating medical conditions,’’ the 15-page opinion said. “The language is clear and does not mislead voters regarding the actual content of the proposed amendment.”

People United for Medical Marijuana, which is led and heavily financed by Orlando lawyer John Morgan, still needs to submit 683,149 valid petition signatures to the state by a Feb. 1 deadline. As of Thursday morning, it had submitted 400,032, according to the state Division of Elections website.

“The unanimous decision by the Florida Supreme Court to approve the new medical marijuana constitutional amendment is a huge victory for hundreds of thousands of sick and suffering Floridians who could benefit from the passage of such a law,” campaign manager Ben Pollara said in a text message.